Door latch



DOOR LATCH F iled Oct. 1. 1926 L3 4?. M 2 .MM 4? a c; v a, my EBPatented Apr. 23, 192-9.

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER O. OSBECK, OF GRAND BAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO GRAND RAPIDSBRASS COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS,

MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

DOOR LATCH.

Application filed Getober 1, 1926. Serial No. 138,836.

The present invention relates to door latches; and its object is toprovide such a latch which shall be simple in construction, comprisingparts readily assembled, and having a latching bolt swingable in eitherdirection into and out of latching engage ment with its keeper and heldyieldingly in operative or retracted position.

These and any other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, andthe invention finds preferable embodiment in, the door latch hereinafterparticularly described in the body of this specification and illustratedby the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a face view of a doorlatch;

Figure 2 is a left-hand side view thereof;

Figure 3 is an inner side view of the latch casing, showing operativeparts therein, the latching bolt being in operative or latchingposition;

Figure 4 is a like view, but showing the latching bolt in a retractedposition and aportion thereof broken away;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the same taken on line 55 of Figure 3;and

Figure 6 is a view in perspective of the latch casings inner side.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by the accompanyingdrawings, a door latch is shown mounted adjacent the left-hand free edgeof a swinging door 1, the latchs keeper 2 being mounted an the doorframe 3. The latch has a casing which a latching bolt 5 is mounted toswing into and out of operative position in which its outer end (3latchingly engages thekeepcr. 'lhis bolt has members 8, 9 spaced. apartin tho bolts transverse direction, which members turn and slide inbearings 10, 11

respectively in the right-hand wall 6 of the casing, through whichbearings the ends of these members extend. The opposite wall 16 of thecasing, adjacent the keeper, has a bearing orilice 17, thekeeper-engaging end 6 of the bolt projecting through, and sliding in,this bearing. The bolt is held in position in the casing by its said end6 and members 8, 9 extending through the bearings 17 and 10, 11respectively.

It will be seen that, when the handle portion 14 of the bolt is moveddownwardly to disengage the end 6 from the keeper, the upper member 8turns on its bearinglO while the lower member 9 slides in its bearing11'; and that, if the latch be mounted adjacent 4-, inside the righthand free edge 01. a swinging door,

so that the ends of the casing be now reversed in position, the downwardmovement of said handle portion to disengage the bolt from the keepercauses the member 9 to turn on its bearing 11 while the member 8 slidesin its bearing 10. It will thus be seen that the same latch may bemounted either at the right-hand or left-hand edge of a swinging door.

An element 20 has a movement in the casing toward .and from the keeper,being slidably mounted as by thecasings attaching screws 21 extendingthrough slots 22in said element. The bolt 5 has a lateral extension,such as the lug 23 extending through an opening 24 in said element 20and adapted to seat in any one of a plurality of recesses or seats insaid element adjacent the outer wall of said opening and arrangedtransversely to the direction of its movement.

The middle one, 25, of these recesses re ceives this extension 23 of thebolt to hold the same in latching position, and the upper recess 26receives said extension to hold the bolt retracted to the position seenin Figure 4, while the lower recess 27 receives said extension to holdthe bolt in its other retracted position. i

A spring 28 abutting at 29 on the-wall 16 of the casing, presses saidelement 20 rearwardly or toward the casings wall 6, to yieldingly holdsaid extension 23 in said recesses respectively and to press the boltsmembers 8, 9 in their bearings 10, 11.

The invention being intended to be pointed out in the claims, is not tobe limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodimentthereof illustrated by the drawings or hereinbefore described.

I claim:

1. A latch comprising: a bolt provided with. a lateral extension andhaving a swinging movement into and out of latching position about anaxis offsetfrom the direction of the pressure of thehereinafter-1nentioned spring; an element having a movement in thelongitudinal direction of the bolt and provided with a plurality ofrecesses arranged transversely to the direction of its movementreceiving said extension in the bolts latching and retracted positionsrespectively; a springpressing said element to yieldingly hold saidextension in the recesses respectively.

2. A latch comprising: a bolt provided with a lateral extension andhaving a swinging movement into and out of latching position about axesoffset from the opposite sides of the direction of the pressure of thehereinaitenmentioned spring; an element having a movement in thelongitudinal direction of the bolt and provided with a middle recess andrecesses spaced from its opposite sides transversely to the direction ofsaid elements movement; a spring pressing said element to yieldinglyhold said extension in the middle recess in the bolts latching positionand in the other recesses respectively in the bolts retracted positions.

3. In a door latch: a pair of spacedbearings; a belt having a swingingmovement into and out of latching position in the keeper and providedwith a lateral extension and a pair of members spaced in the boltstransverse direction, one of'said members being movable slidably and theother or" saidanembers being movable turnably in the bearingsrespectively in the bolts movement; an ele ment having a movement in thelongitudinal direction of the bolt and provided with a plurality ofrecesses arranged transversely to the direction of its movementreceiving said extension in the bolts latching and retracted positionsrespectively; a spring pressing said element to yieldingly hold saidextension in the recesses respectively.

4. In a door latch: a casing having adjacent the free edge of the door abearing and having a pair of spaced bearings disposed oppositely to thefirst-mentioned bearing; a bolt having a swinging movement into and outof latching position, said bolt extending through the first-mentionedbearing and provided with a lateral extension and a pair of membersspaced in the bolts transverse direction and extending through said pair01"" bearings respectively, one of said members being movable slidablyand the other of said members being movable turnab-ly in said pairofbearings respectivelyin the bolts movement; an element having a movementin the longitudinal direction of the boltand provided with a. pluralityof recesses arranged transversely to the direction of its movementreceiving said extension in the bolts latching and retracted positionsrespectively; a spring pressing said element to yieldingly hold saidextension in the recesses respectively.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Grand Rapids,Michigan, this th day of September, 1926. V

ELMER C. OSBECK.

